Relaxed Matt Hudson-Smith says 'grey hairs' will help bid for glory at Birmingham 2026

Matt Hudson-Smith claims having more “grey hairs” will ensure he copes with the pressure of going for gold at Birmingham 2026.

The Wolverhampton athletics hero is confident there will be no repeat of the Commonwealth Games four years ago, when he admits emotions got the better of him at the Alexander Stadium.

Hudson-Smith is this week back again at the place he has always considered home, as it hosts the European Championships.

The 400 metres star is targeting a third European crown and what would unquestionably be a career highlight, achieved in front of family and friends.

Not only is Hudson-Smith a poster boy for the championships, the organisers have even re-named one of the stands after him.

All of which makes him grateful for the experience of four years ago at the same venue, when adrenaline saw him set off too fast and then fade down the home straight, eventually being pipped for gold by Zambia’s Muzala Samukonga.

“I’m glad I had the Commonwealths,” said Hudson-Smith. “I went out like a bat out of hell and paid the price.

“I’d come into the championships off the back of my first world medal and I was hyper as hell.

“I remember locking eyes with my family on the start line and thinking: ‘oh my god’. It was like I was trying to break the world record in that first 200 metres.

“But you learn from your mistakes. I have a lot more experience and some grey hairs on me now.

“Now I am a bit older, the emotions are more controlled. In 2022, I was balling up a little bit every time I step onto the track.

“Now I know what to expect. The noise will be crazy but I have been there, done it.”

Hudson-Smith, who was denied Olympic gold in even more agonising fashion in Paris two years ago, certainly cut a relaxed figure during a press conference on Sunday at the stadium, during which he also found time to talk about the region’s curry houses and chip shops.

“I will fight anyone who says we don’t have the best curries and fish and chips in the country,” he said.

On a more serious note, Hudson-Smith knows how significant this week is can be for the West Midlands and his sport.

The 31-year-old is one of more than 1,600 athletes from 49 nations, including some of the best in the world, who will descend on Birmingham for the first ever European championships staged in the UK.

Hudson-Smith, who switched from football to athletics as a youngster, explained how he had “basically grown up” at the stadium while training with Birchfield Harriers.

Now nearer the end of his career than the start, he is eager to help inspire the next generation.

“Birchfield as a whole has a rich history of athletes,” he said. “From Denise Lewis, Mark Lewis-Francis, Katherine Merry.

“Now I am picking it up, I do feel a responsibility to inspire the next generation, whether it is Birmingham, Walsall, West Brom, I will always try and represent the area as best I can.

“When I come down now, I know there is more influence, in terms of the messages I get.

“As a whole it is my responsibility, especially now I am coming toward the end of my career, to show I can do it.

“I have done the sports halls, I have done the youth league, I have done the English schools and won it here.

“I’m a two-time European champion and I am round the corner from here. If I can do it, anyone can.”